Mar 16th, 2023 - Overview What is addiction? Addiction is a chronic (lifelong) condition that involves compulsive seeking and taking of a substance or performing of an activity despite negative or harmful consequences. Addiction can significantly impact your health, relationships and overall quality of life. It’s crucial to seek help as soon as you develop signs of addiction. Is addiction a disease? Yes, addict...

Mar 15th, 2023 - Overview What are birth defects? Birth defects are abnormal growth changes in your body that happen during fetal development. These changes can affect any part of your child’s body. A healthcare provider can detect birth defects during pregnancy, after your baby is born or later during your child’s life. Most providers identify a birth defect within your child’s first year. Not all birth defect...

Mar 14th, 2023 - Overview A heart with cardiomyopathy gets larger and weaker and can end up in heart failure. What is cardiomyopathy? Cardiomyopathy is a disease that affects your myocardium (heart muscle). Cardiomyopathy can make your heart stiffen, enlarge or thicken and can cause scar tissue. As a result, your heart can’t pump blood effectively to the rest of your body. In time, your heart can weaken and car...

Mar 13th, 2023 - Overview The gallbladder's location deep within your body and under your liver makes it harder to detect cancer cells growing there. What is gallbladder cancer? Gallbladder cancer occurs when malignant (cancer) cells grow in your gallbladder. Your gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ in the upper right of your abdomen, just under your liver. It stores and delivers bile, a fluid your liver secrete...

Mar 13th, 2023 - Overview What is autoimmune hepatitis? Autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic liver disease that begins with a mistake of your immune system. Your immune system sends antibodies to your liver tissues, causing inflammation (hepatitis). These antibodies are normally supposed to attack infections in your liver tissues. But in autoimmune disease, your immune system mistakenly attacks your own healthy ce...

Mar 11th, 2023 - Heart failure care at Mayo Clinic Your Mayo Clinic care team At Mayo Clinic, doctors in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine work with a team of health care provider in many areas to provide you with coordinated care. Mayo Clinic's campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota each offer a Heart Failure Clinic staffed by a team of care providers trained in evaluating and treating heart failur...

Mar 11th, 2023 - Overview Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle doesn't pump blood as well as it should. When this happens, blood often backs up and fluid can build up in the lungs, causing shortness of breath. Certain heart conditions gradually leave the heart too weak or stiff to fill and pump blood properly. These conditions include narrowed arteries in the heart and high blood pressure. Proper treatmen...

Mar 11th, 2023 - Diagnosis To diagnose heart failure, your health care provider examines you and asks questions about your symptoms and medical history. Your provider checks to see if you have risk factors for heart failure, such as high blood pressure, coronary artery disease or diabetes. Your care provider listens to your lungs and heart with a device called a stethoscope. A whooshing sound called a murmur ma...

Mar 11th, 2023 - Diagnosis Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed using the glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. This blood test indicates your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. Results are interpreted as follows: Below 5.7% is normal. 5.7% to 6.4% is diagnosed as prediabetes. 6.5% or higher on two separate tests indicates diabetes. If the A1C test isn't available, or if you have certain cond...

Mar 11th, 2023 - Overview Type 2 diabetes is a condition that happens because of a problem in the way the body regulates and uses sugar as a fuel. That sugar also is called glucose. This long-term condition results in too much sugar circulating in the blood. Eventually, high blood sugar levels can lead to disorders of the circulatory, nervous and immune systems. In type 2 diabetes, there are primarily two probl...

Mar 10th, 2023 - Overview How thrombosis can lead to a blocked blood vessel. What is thrombosis? Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot (thrombus) inside one of your blood vessels or a chamber of your heart. Clots can block blood flow in your blood vessels or break free and travel elsewhere in your body. If a clot gets stuck in a critical location like your lungs or brain, it can disrupt blood flow to that...

Mar 10th, 2023 - Overview What is hepatoblastoma? Hepatoblastoma (pronounced “hep-ah-to-blas-to-mah”) is a very rare liver cancer that typically affects children ages 1 to 3. Surgeons may be able to cure hepatoblastoma if it’s diagnosed when liver cancer tumors are small enough to be completely removed with surgery. Medical researchers are evaluating ways to treat hepatoblastoma that surgery can’t remove or tha...

Mar 10th, 2023 - Overview Congestive heart failure makes fluid accumulate in your body because your heart can’t pump well. What is congestive heart failure? Congestive heart failure, or heart failure, is a long-term condition in which your heart can’t pump blood well enough to meet your body’s needs. Your heart is still working. But because it can’t handle the amount of blood it should, blood builds up in other...

Mar 9th, 2023 - Overview Pustular psoriasis causes scaly patches of skin with fluid-filled blisters or pustules. What is pustular psoriasis? Pustular psoriasis is a form of psoriasis that looks like scaly, discolored patches of skin with fluid-filled blisters or pustules. Psoriasis can form anywhere on your body. It can be painful and sore if pustules break open. Psoriasis is a chronic condition that can come ...

Mar 9th, 2023 - Overview Sinusitis is an inflammation of your sinuses. It can cause facial pain and a stuffy or runny nose with thick mucus. What is sinusitis (sinus infection)? Sinusitis is an inflammation, or swelling, of the tissue lining your sinuses. Sinuses are structures inside your face that are normally filled with air. Bacterial infections, viral infections and allergies can irritate them, causing th...

Mar 9th, 2023 - Overview What is spondylolysis? “Spondylolysis” is the medical term for a small crack (fracture) between two vertebrae in your spine. Your vertebrae are the 33 bones that make up your spinal column. A single bone in your spine is a vertebra — vertebrae is the plural form. Healthcare providers sometimes refer to spondylolysis as pars defect or pars fractures because it affects your pars interart...

Mar 8th, 2023 - Diagnosis To diagnose your condition, your health care provider talks with you about your symptoms, examines your eyes and does a few tests. Your provider will also examine the inside of your nose to determine if any structural disorders of your nasal passages are causing an obstruction. If your provider suspects a blocked tear duct, you may undergo other tests to find the location of the block...

Mar 8th, 2023 - Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis care at Mayo Clinic Your Mayo Clinic care team The large number of kidney specialists (nephrologists) at Mayo Clinic allows providers to subspecialize in specific aspects of kidney medicine, including glomerular diseases such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Depending on the situation, kidney specialists might work with other specialists to develo...

Mar 8th, 2023 - Overview Typical and scarred glomeruli Open pop-up dialog box Close Typical and scarred glomeruli Typical and scarred glomeruli Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) results from scar tissue that develops in the glomeruli. Glomeruli are tiny structures within the kidney that filter waste products from the blood to create urine. A healthy glomerulus is shown on the left. When scar tissue dev...

Mar 8th, 2023 - Overview Tear glands and tear ducts Open pop-up dialog box Close Tear glands and tear ducts Tear glands and tear ducts The tear glands located above each eyeball, called the lacrimal glands, continuously supply tear fluid that's wiped across the surface of your eye each time you blink your eyelids. Excess fluid drains through the tear ducts into the nose. When you have a blocked tear duct, your...